New Blood
by Erik Howlett
Summary: Collaboration with Rider Paladin. Its that time of year again, Legion Tryouts. Is there a potential Legionnaire in the crowd? Will Livewire lose his sanity in the wake of the Tryouts? Chaos abounds as auditions line up. We own nil, save our OC hopefuls.
1. Prologue

New Blood.

By Erik Howlett and Rider Paladin.

Disclaimer: The Legion of Superheroes belongs to DC Comics and DC Entertainment, whilst all OCs in this story are the property of myself and fellow author Rider Paladin. We do not claim any of the _**actual**_ the members of the Legion or elements of the 31st Century as our own, and are only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because we are both humble fans of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on.

Yep, it's that time of year again, Livewire's worst nightmare in all of existence, the thing that haunts him in his deepest dreams: Legion Tryouts. However, this year, there may be more than a few applicants in the crowd with the potential to join the Legion, while others still have a long way to go before they can earn their flight-rings. This is the first time I've done a collaboration-fic before, so this is something new that I'm just itching to try out! Not only that, but my good friend and beta-reader, the talented Rider Paladin, has agreed to come along for the ride and input some of his own OCs to tryout alongside mine! How cool is that?! Do our guys have what it takes to join the Legion? Read on to find out. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

* * *

**Prologue...**

_Earth, Metropolis, 10:00 am._

"Have I ever told you guys how much I hate this?" asked Garth Ranzz of Winath in an annoyed tone, doing his best not to lose his mind as he felt a vein on his forehead start to rise in tandem with the steady descent of his patience as he and his teammates walked a side by side towards the front doors to the Legion Plaza. "Because if not, I'll say it again, "I _reeeaally_ sprocking hate this!"

"Oh, lighten up, Livewire," growled Brin Londo through his fangs, trying his best not to clock the formerly named Lightning Lad as he walked hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl, also known as Apparition, or Phantom Girl. If there was one thing Timberwolf hated to hear, it was this annual gripe-fest their leader liked to recite year after year around this time. "It's gotta happen, so why complain about it?"

"Yeah, Garth, you need to relax," reasoned Irma Ardeen of Titan, her arms wrapped around her fiancé's own prosthetic right-arm affectionately. Saturn Girl knew her future husband better than anyone (being a telepath didn't hurt either), so she knew just the right way to calm him down when he got like this. "It's only one day out of the year, so why let it get to you? Besides, not all of them are going to be total flops, there might be a potential Legionnaire in the crowd this year."

"Girlfriend's got a point there," agreed Tinya with a smile, her cape trailing behind her in time with her long, black hair. Unlike Garth, Apparition actually looked forward to this day. It was fun to see how many people were interested in their cause, not to mention all the diverse superpowers they brought to the audition table.

"Yes, given the number of application sheets we received from the United Planets' Offices, it's highly probable that there will be someone with the proper abilities and skills to make the cut," said Brainiac 5 of Colu logically, running the numbers and probabilities on a hand-held touch-screen as he spoke. As usual, Querl Dox was all intellect. It was only because of his brain-power and smarts that they managed to have at least some form of recognizable order to this otherwise chaotic event. "Also, based on the number of diverse sentients that will be represented here this year, it's possible we may see a lot of different changes to the roster in the Legion. Factor in all of the variables in species, gender, measurements, physiology, mass, and psychological profiles to the equation, and-"

"Brainy," interrupted a voice on the Coluan's shoulder, much to the relief of the other Legionnaire's present, thankful to be spared another lecture, "you were rambling again."

"Oops," exclaimed Brainiac 5 in embarrassment, his cheeks turning a darker shade of green upon realizing he'd let the scientist in him get the better of him. "Heh, sorry Vi."

"It's okay, Brainy, it's only natural." Salu Digby sat contently on her boyfriend's shoulder, enjoying the ride to the front steps of the plaza at the size of a small action figure, just for the sake of appearance. Like all Imskians, her ability to change her size to that of microscopic proportions really came in handy, and Shrinking Violet often found herself enjoying the chance to get a better view on things than anyone else. Maybe that was why she and the Brainiac made such a good pair.

"I guess you all have a point," sighed Livewire in mock defeat, a reluctant smile playing on his lips as they walked the last few steps towards the front doors, an edgy sensation building up inside him and causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end in anticipation for the carnage that came next.

A squeeze on his arm from Saturn Girl was all it took to shove those fears from his mind.

Turning to face his fellow Legionnaires that had gathered with him to help supervise the event, he saw not just heroes the galaxy could look up to. He saw friends and family that had stuck by him no matter what had come their way, be it supervillains, terrorists, invading armies, marriage, or even loss. They had stuck together since the beginning, since he, Irma, and Rokk saved President R.J. Brande as Lightning Lad, Saturn Girl, and Cosmic Boy. Behind him now, ready to face this day along with him, his wife, Violet, Brainy, Brin, and Tinya, were some of the best friends he could ever hope to have. Tasmia Mallor of Talok VIII (Umbra), Luornu Durgo of Cargg (Triad), Val Armorr of Earth (Karate Kid), Projectra of Orando (Princess Projectra), and Reep Daggle of Durla (Chameleon). All of them were astounding superheroes, representing the best of their planets. Today, they would represent their worlds as their heroes to a new generation of hopeful Legionnaires.

'_That is, if we all don't lose our sprocking minds first,'_ Garth thought as he turned back to face the doors, swallowing his pride and putting on his best game-face as he took a deep breath to mentally prepare himself for what lay ahead. "Alright, gang," he proclaimed firmly, his gaze set and determined, "let's do this."

In one swift motion, each Legionnaire present leapt into the air and literally flew out the doors, their standard-issue Flight Rings nullifying the gravity around them in seconds as they burst into the outside world. Calling what they saw a madhouse would have been the understatement of the century, as it was far more chaotic than that. Gathered on the front steps of the Legion Plaza was a crowd of people and sentients that numbered in the thousands, practically a sea of colors, fur, costumes, and faces as they anxiously waited for what would come next. Among the crowd were some familiar faces, like those of the Legion of Substitute Heroes, who had turned out to try and become members as they did every year, while offering a temporary alternative to the Legion for those hopefuls who still needed to learn better control over their abilities. Immediately upon seeing the Legionnaire's flying towards them though the doors, everyone present let loose a mighty cheer that grew into a massive roar of sound, faces lighting up as they saw their heroes, nay, their idols, in action.

For the sake of their fans, some of the gathered Legionnaires put on a brief display of power upon landing near the podium where a pair of reporters were giving color-commentary on the event, striking a battle-pose in a moment of true showmanship rarely shown by the heroes. Livewire summoned a crackling aura of electricity around his hands; Saturn Girl allowed a halo of psychic energy to visibly appear and encompass her head as her eyes glowed a haunting pink; Timberwolf landed on all fours and threw back his head to let loose a mighty howl, baring his fangs savagely; Brainiac 5 summoned his personal force-field and then dispelled it in a sudden burst of energy; Violet grew to her full height and leapt off his shoulder; Triad split into her three duplicates, her 'neutral' form (white) leaping up on the shoulders of her 'passive' (orange) and 'aggressive' (purple) forms to make a human-pyramid; Projecta created an impressive illusion of a brilliant fireworks display that flashed vibrantly in the skies overhead; Karate Kid quickly and fluidly showed off some of his martial arts forms with incredible prowess; Umbra called up a small amount of Darkforce, molding it into a miniature Chinese dragon; and Chameleon shifted seamlessly between a series of different alien-creatures before returning to his original form.

"And here they are folks," announced the lovely Trudy Trusoe from _**The Earth Spins**_ news-show, who had been chosen to act as speaker for this year's Legion Tryouts Day, "Live and in the flesh, your very own Legion of Super-Heroes! The word has gone out, and from all over the galaxy, you have answered their call! Representing hundreds of different races from across the U.P., you've all gathered here with one goal in mind: to become the next proud member of the Legion! So, without further adieu, I declare the qualification trials for this year's annual Legion Tryouts to be… open!" Needless to say, this brought about another resounding, thunderous cheer from the crowd, each one of them eager to start the tryouts.

'_And so, the nightmare begins anew,'_ thought Livewire in exasperation. Somehow, he knew deep down in the pit of his stomach that after this was all over, he was going to need a vacation.

A _long_ vacation, indeed.

* * *

Author's Note: And there you have it folks, the Legion Tryouts are underway! Is there a Legionnaire in the crowd this year? Is there more than just one? Do any of these young hopefuls have what it takes to make the cut? Will Livewire come out of this ordeal with his sanity intact, or will he end up in New Arkham (if such an institution even exists in this time-period)? With the tryouts beginning in just a moment, all of these questions and more will be answered soon, so stay tuned for more insanity and mind-blowing displays of supe-rheroics, courtesy of Rider Paladin and myself. This Erik Howlett reporting to you live from the Legion Plaza in beautiful New Metropolis for _**The Earth Spins,**_ so stay tuned as Rider and I go inside the auditions to bring it all to you as it happens. We'll be back with more in just a moment, True Believers!


	2. Audition 1, Rock Opera

New Blood.

By Erik Howlett and Black Crow Knightmare.

Disclaimer: The Legion of Superheroes belongs to DC Comics and DC Entertainment, whilst all OCs in this story are the property of myself and fellow author Black Crow Knightmare (formerly Rider Paladin). We do not claim any of the _**actual**_ the members of the Legion or elements of the 31st Century as our own, and are only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because we are both humble fans of this genre simply telling a story. Some of the Legionnaires featured here are a mixture of their comic-book and animated incarnations, hence the different pairings, codenames, costume designs, and so on.

Alright, it's time to get the Tryouts underway, and we're kicking things off with an Legion hopeful whose power speaks for itself… Literally. Does he have what it takes to make the cut? Will his powers be just the thing to kick off the Tryouts on a high-note? Will his abilities only further ground Livewire's fear of the Tryouts in general, or alleviate them? All these questions and more will be revealed, so read on, True Believers, read on!

**. . . . . . . . . . . .**

**Audition 1: Rock Opera.**

Truth be told, the set-up for this year's Legion Tryouts Day was much more comfortable than the last.

With the temperature a bearable 60 degrees, a slight breeze rustling through the trees every so often, and a cloud popping up here and there, Livewire couldn't think of a more picturesque day, let alone a day for the Tryouts. Not only that, but they didn't have to use the old audition room from when they'd first started the Legion, thanks to the renovations that had gone on in later years as the team had begun to expand. This year, auditions were being held outside in the Spirit Gardens, an outdoor Zen garden that had been planted as a therapeutic place of meditative relaxation for the members of the Legion that made their home in New Metropolis, a sort of 'thank you' gift from the governments of Orando and Winath for all the Legion had done for the United Planets over the years. A vast array of alien flora grew here, with vibrant colors as numerous and unique as the shimmering rainbow patterns that flickered across the morning mist that settled upon the garden's hours before the festivities had begun.

Seeing as there were reporters crawling all over the Legion Plaza, and a good number of hover-cams flitting about the skies in hopes of catching even the slightest glimpse of the many hopefuls as they auditioned for a spot on the team, precautions had been taken to assure that things were kept as personal as possible, and that applicants were not given any special treatment from the rest of the crowd, ensuring that the identity of those who made it to the final round of the Tryouts were kept secret until the time was right. To accomplish this goal, a special _'privacy-field,'_ was erected around the screening area. Created by the scientists on Colu, the privacy-field was a special kind of force-field that allowed people to freely enter and exit its barrier, while using special particles composed of hard-light energy to refract incoming wavelengths of photons and render the interior of the area it covered… Well, practically invisible to the public eye, both on the ground, and in the air. The only way people could tell where the screening area was happened to be the metal ring that hovered nearly twelve feet off the ground, its special lenses casting the privacy-field over the prearranged patch of earth just as programmed.

As for the Legionnaires, they had things pretty well set up inside the privacy-field for the auditions. A hover-desk had been brought in to accommodate the ten Legionnaires who would be doing the actual judging for the event (Livewire, Saturn Girl, Apparition, Timberwolf, Brainiac 5, Shrinking Violet, Chameleon, Umbra, Karate Kid, and Princess Projecta respectively), as well as a special chair outfitted for their personal preferences and also equipped with anti-gravity propulsion systems like the table. Triad had elected to handle the other affairs that went hand-in-hand with the interviewing processes, such as ushering the applicants into the screening area, maintaining some form of order outside, and keeping track of the names and rankings the other Legionnaires wrote down on their interactive, touch-screen 'clipboards.' These had each applicant's name written on them, and three check boxes marked 'Yes,' 'No,' and 'Maybe,' the last meaning the applicant would be considered for the status of Honorary Member if not selected for the finals for whatever reason.

"I gotta say, this is ten times better than last year," admitted Livewire as he leaned back in his hover-chair and propped up his feet on the desk, actually starting to relax a bit than he normally did at the Tryouts, which caused his friends to grin in satisfaction. All Garth really needed was the proper setting and this year's Tryouts wouldn't be as bad as he made it out to be. Hell, he might even start to enjoy it somewhere along the way. "This is way more relaxing that the musty, old audition room. Thank God we did that overhaul on the H.Q., huh?"

"Yeah, besides, I like things this way a whole lot more," beamed Saturn Girl wholeheartedly, glad to see her future husband actually enjoying himself for a change. "I mean, we're outside, the weather's perfect for the Tryouts, and it's almost like the universe decided to take a day off of crime for once."

"You forgot about these awesome drinks," Chameleon chimed in from four seats over, his own posture almost mirroring that of Livewire's, save for the fact that he was in the process of enjoying a sizable chocolate malt, somewhat loudly to the displeasure of his fellow Legionnaires' ears. "Man, Tenz' makes one tasty shake."

"It's too bad he had to turn in his uniform and ring though," sighed Karate Kid regretfully, remembering how much fun it was to have Matter-Eater Lad on the team. Tenzil Kem may not have been the most powerful of the Legion, but he was still a valued member of the team. When he got injured in the Legion's battle with Mordru the Mystic, it had been touch and go there for awhile, so no one could blame him for resigning from active duty. Thankfully, he didn't leave the team altogether, and chose to put his degree in the culinary arts to good use in the Plaza's galley/diner.

"At least he's still around, Val," rebutted Garth refreshingly, downing a shot of his own, chilly glass of mega-vitamin fruit shake. "And, I'll take having one of our own alive and cooking over dead and buried any day of the week."

"He's got a point, dear," agreed Projecta as she placed a comforting hand on top of her husband's, earning her a pleasant smile from the martial arts master.

"Well, let's get this crazy-train a-rollin' then, shall we?" asked Umbra in a somewhat anxious tone, eyes alight with anticipation. Not only was Tasmia interested to see what new powers and personalities would be on display this year, but she had an ulterior motive for finding enjoyment in this year's Tryouts. Earlier that morning, she, Chameleon, Violet, and Timberwolf had started a small, good-natured betting pool on how long it would take for Livewire to lose his mind.

"(sigh)… 'Guess there's no real point in delaying the inevitable then, is there?" admitted Livewire somewhat hesitantly as he shifted his feet off the hover-desk and returned to a more formal sitting position, setting down his glass and taking up the touch-screen he'd left on the arm of his chair. It was a necessary evil, this day-long torment he was about to endure for the sake of justice and galactic peace, but that fact alone didn't make it any easier for him. His past experiences with the Tryouts hadn't been all that great, and even with the more relaxed setting of this year's affair, he still couldn't help but be uneasy about the crop of applicants they would be judging this year. It was only routine for him to end up skewered, scorched, slimed, or for any number of misfortunes to befall him for that matter. Still, he knew that he was just going to have to grin and bear it. If for nothing else, then for Irma's sake.

"So, how's up first, Luornu?" asked an anxious Apparition, obviously more into the spirit of the Legion Tryouts than Garth. She'd seen a lot of eventful displays in years past, and she always walked away from each of them wanting more. Something about seeing how many teens like herself would show up just to try and make a difference in the universe with the wide array of diverse superpowers that each wielded excited her, like all of their hard work being heroes was worth all the hassle in the long run.

"Um, let's see," replied Triad's Orange (passive) persona as she keyed up the first applicants form on her hand-held. After a few seconds of searching, she came up with a name. "Ah, here we go." Before she could say anything further, Tinya couldn't help but notice the Carggite begin to blush furiously as a weak smile came to her face. Having made that face before, Apparition knew right away that the first applicant was a cute boy. Doing the best she could to compose herself, Triad Orange continued. "His name's Leonardo Giovanni, a metahuman from right here on Earth, from New Venice, Italy to be exact."

As if on cue, the shimmering surface of the privacy field began to warp and shift as someone crossed over its boundaries into the screening area. One look told the Legionnaires that this was their first applicant, for he certainly had a bit of 'Italian flair' about him. He was an elegantly handsome sixteen-year-old, with a face to rival that of any fairy-tale's Prince Charming, eyes like glowing amber with cat-like irises, and thick black hair that was slicked back into windswept spikes on top, flowing down into an impressive, shoulder-length mane. The only method that Leonardo apparently used to conceal his identity (something that a few superheroes still did nowadays) was half of a white porcelain masquerade mask, like something right out of Gaston Leroux's _**Phantom of the Opera.**_ The rest of his attire consisted of an ebony black tuxedo that had a similarly colored, high-collared cape fastened about his shoulders by a golden chain. Holding the links together was a similarly gilded clasp, upon which was emblazoned the rust-colored symbol of what looked to be a lion's head, no doubt a family crest of some kind.

"_Ciao, Legionari,"_ Leonardo said politely in Italian, bowing low and grabbing a handful of his cape to sweep in front of him dramatically as he introduced himself. "I am Leonardo Giovanni of _Venezia Nuovo,_ though you may address me by my alias, _**Rock Opera,**_ if you prefer."

"Good to know you, Rock Opera," smiled Tinya sincerely as she shifted slightly in her seat, leaning forward in anticipation for his audition.

"So," began Livewire as he looked over Leonardo's application on his handheld, an eyebrow rising slightly when he saw what the Italian metahuman's special power was, "it says here your ability is, 'sonic manipulation.' Now, I don't have to tell you that we see a lot of applicants with sonic scream abilities similar to those of the ancient heroine, Black Canary, at these Tryouts, so what makes yours different from the usual screamers?"

Upon hearing this, Leonardo simply smiled knowingly, having heard this all before. Boy, were the Legionnaire's in for a pleasant surprise. "_Si. _Well, maybe a demonstration would be better than simply telling you about it."

"Why not?" replied Irma earnestly, admittedly interested in seeing what Leonardo's sonics could do that set him apart from the others as their first applicant. "Whenever you're ready, Rock Opera. Let's see what you can do."

Nodding compliantly, Leonardo took a moment to clear his throat and took a deep breath. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth… And began to _sing._ Only, this was more than just simply singing a few bars of a solo aria. No, what came out of his mouth sounded more powerful than that. Somehow, Leonardo's voice had changed to mimic the nearly infinite range of pitch possessed by an entire chorus, musical instruments included! It was like a private, one-man concert of archangels had descended from heaven to perform especially for the gathered Legionnaires. So impressive and thunderous was the sound the performance made, that it stretched out far across the boundaries of the privacy field, and out into the crowd beyond. All who heard Leonardo's voice couldn't help but be in awe of such wondrous music, immediately moved by the display though they knew not who among them was making such beautiful noise. Among the crowd, many who had gathered there couldn't help but tear up a bit in response to what they were hearing.

_O amici, non più questi suoni! __  
__Cantiamo canzoni più allegro, __  
__più piena di gioia! __  
__Gioia, bella scintilla di Dio, __  
__Figlia di Elysium, __  
__Fuoco di ispirazione ci battistrada __  
__Tuo santuario. __  
__La tua magia potere ri-unisce __  
__Tutto ciò che ha diviso personalizzato, __  
__Tutti gli uomini diventano fratelli __  
__Sotto il dominio del tuo ali gentile. __  
__Chi ha creato __  
__Una amicizia duratura, __  
__Oppure ha vinto __  
__Una moglie fedele e amorevole, __  
__Tutti coloro che possono chiamare almeno una loro anima, __  
__Partecipa al nostro canto di lode; __  
__Ma qualsiasi che non possono deve strisciare in lacrime __  
__Di distanza dal nostro circolo. __  
__Tutte le creature bevono la gioia __  
__Al seno della natura._

Within the confines of the privacy field, a similar feeling came over the Legionnaires as the listened to Rock Opera's performance, though they also experienced a number of different sensations as well. Livewire, for whom the overall stress looming over him in relation to the remaining tryouts was starting to affect him, suddenly felt a jolt of adrenaline wash over him all at once, pumping up the otherwise depressed Legionnaire. Chameleon started to feel very groggy, as though all the energy was being sucked out of him the way a hard workout usually did, and his body began to feel very drained physically. Soon, the combination of that feeling and the pleasant, sonorous melody of Leonardo's singing, had put him to sleep, his head slumped over the back of his hover-chair in snoring, snot-bubble-blowing slumber. Brin, the tough as nails berserker of the Legion, suddenly felt a rush of emotion flood over him, and began to tear up himself, sniffling slightly in response to the beauty of the music. Two chairs over from Timberwolf, Violet felt as though she'd been injected with a shot of pure caffeine, her hands shaking in response to the jittery sensations surging through her at the moment.

_Giusto e l'ingiusto __  
__allo stesso modo il gusto del suo dono; __  
__Ci ha dato baci e il frutto della vite, __  
__Un amico ha cercato fino alla fine. __  
__Anche il worm può sentire contentezza, __  
__E il cherubino sta davanti a Dio! __  
__Lieti, come i corpi celesti __  
__Che Egli ha fissato per i loro corsi __  
__Attraverso lo splendore del firmamento; __  
__Così, fratelli, è necessario eseguire la vostra razza, __  
__Come un eroe verso la vittoria. __  
__Sei milioni, ti abbraccio. __  
__Questo bacio è per tutti il mondo! __  
__Fratelli, sopra il baldacchino stellato __  
__Deve abitare un Padre amorevole. __  
__Non cadete nel culto, moltitudini? __  
__Mondo, lo sai il tuo Creatore? __  
__Cercatelo nei cieli; __  
__Sopra le stelle Egli deve abitare._ **(1.)**

Soon, however, the song came to an end, and Leonardo brought it on home, the chorus growing silent and the instruments becoming still. Soon, the only sounds that could be heard where the rustling of the breeze in the garden's trees and the uproarious applause that echoed from outside the privacy field in response to Rock Opera's performance.

"So, what do you think?" grinned the Italian metahuman charmingly. Before him, Livewire, Chameleon, Timberwolf and Shrinking Violet suddenly felt the strange sensations that had overwhelmed them only seconds ago abruptly vanish, returning them to their previous states, save for Garth, who felt a lot better than before.

"Whoa, what the heck was that?" wondered Timberwolf in confusion, wiping the salty remnants of tears from his fur with his claws.

"Yeah, it felt like I drank a hundred pounds of coffee," admitted Violet as she felt her nerves settle a bit, the shaking in her extremities dying down a bit.

"What're you guys talking about?" questioned Karate Kid curiously, eyeing his teammates suscpiciously.

"You mean, you didn't feel anything?" marveled Livewire in confused amazement.

"Actually, they didn't," explained Leonardo matter-of-factly. "You see, my powers allow me to use my voice to produce frequencies of sound beyond the range of human capabilities, as you just witnessed, as well as use a secondary layer of hypersonics naturally produced by my vocal chords to subtly alter the body chemistry of others and disrupting homeostasis for a variety of affects. As you just saw, or felt as the case may be, I can weaken people's immune systems, slow the production of adrenaline, manipulate the release and flow of certain hormones, and so on. For example, with Livewire, I altered the flow of adrenaline in his body to give him a jumpstart of sorts. I did the same with Chameleon, though in his case, I slowed his body's production of adrenaline to the point where he had no choice but to fall asleep. I can also selectively choose who is effected by my powers, hence the reason why only you guys felt it and everyone else didn't."

"Now _that_ was definitely an original superpower," admitted an impressed Saturn Girl as Rock Opera simply beamed in response to her praise. Looking to her future husband with a visible "I-told-you-so" in her gaze, she opened their own private telepathic link to see what he really thought about the Italian metahuman's abilities. _'You've got to admit, Garth, that was an impressive display to say the least.'_

'_Heh, okay, okay, you're right sweetie,'_ conceded Livewire with a smirk, knowing when to admit defeat. Though he had some concerns about how Leonardo's abilities would fare against robotic opponents, he'd both seen, and felt, enough to safely say that Rock Opera would be making it to the finals. _'Besides, he was able to throw Brin, Tinya, Reep, Salu, and myself all at once! Just imagine what he could do to an enemy!'_ With his future wife nodding in concurrence, Garth turned to his fellow Legionnaires to see what they thought of the Italian meta's demonstration. It was unanimous. "Well," began the current Legion leader with a grin as he turned to the hopeful Leonardo, "congratulations, Rock Opera, you've just made it to the finals!"

"_Eccellente!"_ shouted the newly minted finalist jubilantly, fist-pumping the air in triumph at this news. _"Grazie, Legionari,_ you don't know how much this means to me. I won't let you down, I promise!"

"Oh, there's no doubt about that, kid," replied Timberwolf with a fanged grin.

"Yeah," Apparition chimed in, "after what you just did, I'd say the finals should be a breeze for someone with your potential."

"Especially since the last time I saw Timberwolf cry like that, it involved a mile of Scotch-tape, a plastic leg, a pink tutu, and a bowl of chopped onions," smirked Princess Projectra impishly, a flood of deliciously embarrassing memories coming back to her as she watched Brin squirm in his seat at the very mention of the event.

"We promised never to speak of that dark day," growled the furred Legionnaire in annoyance, the white haired princess eyeing him mischievously.

"All kidding aside, good luck in the finals, Rock Opera," Triad Orange piped up sheepishly, mentally kicking herself for getting worked up over how attractive Leonardo was, remembering that she and the other Triads had Chuck Taine (Bouncing Boy) to go home to when all was said and done. Still, like most girls her age, she was a sucker for a pretty face.

"_Grazie, _Triad," thanked Leonardo politely, stopping on his way out to the waiting area to give her another of his courteous, cape-sweeping bows. "I am happy to know that I have already made a good impression on my first try. Well, until the finals then." And with that, he placed a small kiss on the top of her hand, and turned to exit the privacy-field, his cape fluttering in the breeze behind him as he vanished beyond the veil of holographic light. When he was gone, a blushing Triad Orange, sank to the floor, her weak knees caving under her as she gave a long, dreamy sigh.

Chuckling to themselves at her antics, Livewire and the other Legionnaires began marking down their decision for Rock Opera's audition on their Omnicon handhelds. When all was said and done, the Italian metahuman had scored a perfect 10, 'Yes' checked by his name all across the board. When it came time for the finals, there was little doubt in their minds that Leonardo would be one of the many to come out on top when the dust settled. True, his powers did have their limits, but the charming Rock Opera seemed to have a good handle on them, as well as a cool head when it came to otherwise intimidating situations. He definitely met the criteria for becoming a Legionnaire. He had a unique superpower (which was a must, as the Legion's constitution encouraged diversity amongst the team), and he had the heroic potential and courage that all Legionnaires needed to survive in combat and work as a team.

"See, Garth, that wasn't so bad," joked Umbra from across the table. "We got the first audition finished in record time, and you didn't get totally florged like you usually do." Now, that brought a lot of laughs all around, even from Livewire. It seemed like a tradition for the Legion Tryouts that, somehow, he was always the one to be covered in slime, shocked into a babbling stupor, crushed under debris, or gassed until he smelled like an entire sewage planet before the day was out. But, thankfully, he had been spared in this first round, so the future looked a little brighter.

"Yeah, and he actually gave you that little jolt you needed to push you outta our usual funk," Chameleon pointed out.

"Hey, you're right, Cham," admitted the Legion leader cheerily, still feeling the uplifting effects of Rock Opera's power as he listened to the crowd outside applaud and cheer for the applicant in question as he made his way into the chaos beyond the privacy-field. "I feel ten times better after that. Maybe things will turn out differently this year after all." A smile from his future wife assuring him of his words, Garth turned his attentions back to his Omnicron as Triad Orange began to compose herself to continue the auditions in a more professional manner. "So, who's up next, Luornu?"

"Looks like it's…" began the Carggite triplicate as she searched her own Omnicron for the answer. When she finally came to the second applicant's entry, a puzzled look came to her face, telling her fellow Legionnaire's that this one was an oddity, "Jordax Tharok from the Apollo Satellite Colony orbiting Neptune."

As before, the privacy-field's surface warped again as the applicant in question dashed through the hologram to stand before the Legionnaire's, chest puffed out in an attempt at a heroic pose. Sure enough, this one was a definite oddity to say the least. A pasty skinned young lad, Jordax's attire consisted of a deep-green body suit, over which was worn a goggle-eyed helmet, thigh-high grieves, a pair of bracer-gauntlets, a heavy iron belt, and a breast-plate with the letters "GK" painted on it in red and blue. Immediately, Princess Projectra and Karate Kid noticed a small trail of multi-colored footprints followed after him, as though the boy had trudged through a freshly painted mural or something. Upon seeing the anxious look on the Legionnaire's faces, Jordax decided to introduce himself.

"My name is Jordax Tharok, but you can call me…" As the young hopeful spoke, he threw his arms out wide, like an conductor opening a symphony. Suddenly, unbeknownst to Jordax, but painfully obvious to the Legionnaires, the pasty boy's skin began to bubble and shift, as a pallet's worth of colors began to appear across his pale dermis. Oblivious to this bizarre occurrence, the young colonist finished up his introduction with an explosive proclamation of his 'heroic' alias. "GRAFFITI KING!'

As if triggered by the boy's name, the bubbling mass of colors that shifted and popped along his skin suddenly exploded in a tidal wave of colorful paint that practically flooded the interior of the privacy-field, plastering everything in sight with a gooey, Technicolor film as vibrant as a rainbow. Nothing escaped the blast radius of paint, and when the flood ceased, every Legionnaire was covered from head to toe with the stuff, save for Brainiac 5, whose personal force-field had managed to deflect the wave of color, leaving him and his seat, squeaky clean. The other Legionnaires, however, weren't so lucky. Though Apparition managed to phase off the paint with her intangibility, Timberwolf's fur was now a bright-yellow and completely soaked, as was everyone else. It was all the orange-and-violet Karate Kid could do to keep a blue-and-hot-pink Projectra from climbing over the table to personally throttle Jordax for coating her in filth, the princess of Orando raving and ranting like a mad-woman all the while.

"Oops," as all Graffiti King managed to squeak out at first, realizing that his powers had gone off prematurely… again. "Sorry."

"Me and my big mouth," sighed Livewire in exasperation, red paint dripping from his hair as he felt that migraine he'd managed to stave off earlier start to rear its ugly head again. So much for things looking up, this was gonna be one Hell of a long day.

**. . . . . . . . . . .**

Author's Note: Well, you win some, and you lose some, I guess, Livewire. Still, the kick off to the Tryouts wasn't a total loss. Rock Opera certainly had what it takes to make it into the Legion, and his power is definitely unique enough. Now, how about the other hopefuls in the crowd? Can any of them be Legion material? Will they be total flops like Graffiti King, or hit it out of the park like Rock Opera? Will Livewire completely lose his mind in the coming insanity? Is this author finally starting to make it out of his two-month writing-slump? With more Tryouts on the way, all of these questions and more will be answered soon, so stay tuned for more insanity and mind-blowing displays of super-heroics, courtesy of Black Crow Knightmare and myself. This Erik Howlett reporting to you live from the Legion Plaza in beautiful New Metropolis for _**The Earth Spins,**_ so stay tuned as one of Knightmare's own creations steps up the audition stage next. We'll be back with more in just a moment, True Believers!

**(1) **The lyrics above are the Italian translation for Beethoven's _Ode to Joy._


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